Despite the peeling yellow paint and boarded up windows, Lullworth Hall still stands out in a town known for its historic buildings. “It’s just such a visible symbol,” said Doug Rauschenberger, a borough-designated historian who has lived in Haddonfield for over 50 years and is the former president of the Historical Society of Haddonfield. Best known as a part of the Bancroft School, it is also “one of the most outstanding examples of Victorian architecture, bar none, really, in Haddonfield,” Rauschenberger said. Its location on the corner of Kings Highway and Hopkins Lane by the town’s border with Cherry Hill — along with the lack of neighboring homes — makes it impossible to ignore.
Beyond its architecture, Lullworth Hall is a piece of American history. When Margaret Bancroft established the Haddonfield Training School in 1883, it was one of the first private schools in the country for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Opened nearly a century before educating students with disabilities was required by federal law, Bancroft was considered a pioneer. Lullworth Hall only became a part of its facilities in 1919. Though the nonprofit moved out of Haddonfield in 2018, its legacy is intertwined with the school. It is therefore no surprise that it is on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places as a part of the borough’s historic district.
Fortunately, the dilapidated building is set to be fixed. Michael Rigolizzo, the current property owner, estimated that restoring it to a private single-family residence would be completed by the end of the year. “It’s a monumental task and it’s a logistical nightmare,” Rigolizzo said. However, “everybody who’s working on this house is literally in love” with it, he said.
COURTESY OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF HADDONFIELD (PATRICIA LENNON ARCHIVES CENTER).
Charles H. Mann, who would later become the president of the Haddonfield Electric Light and Power Company, had the house built for his family on land previously owned by his father. Haddonfield had begun to grow very rapidly following the opening of a stop on the Camden and Atlantic Railroad in 1853. “A lot of the houses being built were by Philadelphians who saw Haddonfield as sort of a country estate, out of the dirt and dust of the big city,” Rauschenberger said. Mann was “part of a whole movement in the late Victorian era to build substantial houses in Haddonfield.” Following its completion in 1888, Lullworth Hall officially became Mann’s residence.
While Lullworth Hall is well known as the first home to be electrified in Haddonfield, this installation did not occur until a few years after its completion. Rauschenberger believes the delay probably occurred because as president of the town’s electric light and power company, Mann was focused on installing streetlights in Haddonfield. The company was founded in 1889.
Mann died in August 1910 in Paris following a heart attack. Close to nine years later, Jenzia Cooley, who joined Bancroft leadership in 1909, bought the property. It originally served as the nurses’ residence, and later housed other staff and interns in apartments. Between 1902 and 1914, the entrance was relocated, and several of its now iconic features, such as the enclosed front porch, were added. In the late 1930s, the half-timbering exterior was removed. The only other major changes that have taken place have been a fire escape and an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant ramp.
Bancroft bought the property in 1956. Sometime in the 1970s, it became their administrative headquarters. It also at times included the library for the students and rehabilitation facilities. Due to expansion, Bancroft moved its campus to Mount Laurel in 2018.
Various redevelopment plans were floated for Lullworth Hall. Rigolizzo served as a historic consultant for the Haddonfield Development Group, which in February 2023 signed a conditional agreement with the borough to redevelop the home into several housing units. “Once we took a tour of the house with the realtor who represented the town, my first reaction when I walked through the door was, ‘This is not a project for you guys. Why don’t you let me buy out your interest now and let me restore this house?’” According to Rigolizzo, they did not take him up on the offer. Haddonfield Development Group terminated the project in July 2024. As luck would have it, Rigolizzo got a call from the same realtor asking if he was still interested. “I said, ‘Well, absolutely.’” The realtor told him there was a request for proposals and he only had days to respond. Rigolizzo’s previous experience became an advantage. On March 24, 2025, the borough commissioners authorized the sale of the property to Rigolizzo, and the sale was finalized on September 12.
Since then, the crew has cleaned up the outside yard, chased leaks, and finalized the architectural plans. While Rigolizzo emphasized his commitment to preserving the spirit of the house, it will have modern amenities such as air conditioning. There will also be a new detached two-story three-car garage with a conservatory that will use the Gothic arched wood and glass panels on the front porch. The Historic Preservation Commission approved the proposed work in October, while the planning board has yet to do so.
Following the restoration, the home is expected to have six bedrooms, five full baths, three half baths, a “huge” kitchen, a library, a family room that was originally a banquet room, a formal dining room, a parlor, and outdoor porches on each of the three floors. Rigolizzo is still determining whether to transform the basement into a speakeasy or a home theater. Then the house will be be put on the market for sale as a single-family residence, returning to its roots. That’s what the house deserves to be, said Rigolizzo.
